How to get a Salvadoran birth certificate from the United States

How much a Salvadoran birth certificate costs

A partida costs $5 at El Salvador's domestic rate and $35 when it is issued abroad, for example at a consulate. Both fees are set in Article 2-J of the RNPN's founding law.

About the online price: Simple SV lists $5, but it is not confirmed whether someone ordering from the US is charged the $35 abroad rate instead. Check the total on the payment screen before you pay.

Town hall fees vary: in San Salvador Centro they run from $2.50 to $3.50 depending on the district. A 2023 waiver that made the partida free for DUI applicants lasted 60 days and has expired. If you need an apostille, add $20 for the RNPN authentication; the apostille itself is free.

How to order it online on Simple SV

Ordering online is the most direct option from the US. Simple SV is the Salvadoran government's digital service portal, and the national registry (RNPN, Registro Nacional de las Personas Naturales) processes the request.

1. Open the Certificación de partidas service on Simple SV.
2. Log in with an RNPN account (clave única). It is not confirmed whether a DUI number is required to create one.
3. Enter the full name, date of birth, place of registration and parents' names.
4. Pay online and wait for the certificate.

You get a digital document with a digitized signature and a QR code that lets any agency verify it. Simple SV quotes 24 business hours, though it can take longer when a local registry office has to handle it.

Ordering for a parent? You can. Salvadoran law lets anyone request a certificate, and Simple SV accepts third-party requests without an authorization letter. You just need their details. Since May 2024, El Salvador's 262 municipalities were merged into 44, and the old towns became districts, so enter the original place of registration.

Does a Salvadoran birth certificate expire?

Yes. Under Article 101 of the Family Status Registry Law, in force since December 2024, a certificate is valid for one year from the date it is issued.

Several procedures check that date:

You may read on Simple SV or on a 2022 RNPN page that the certificate “does not expire” and that acceptance depends on the receiving office. The 2024 law is newer and is the rule that applies, so plan on one year.

Practical tip: order it a few weeks before your appointment. If you order too early and the appointment gets pushed back, you may have to pay for a new one. The issue date printed on the digital certificate is the one that counts.

Using it with USCIS and other US agencies

For USCIS, you usually need a translation, not an apostille. Federal rule 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) says any foreign-language document must come with a complete English translation certified by a competent translator.

An apostille is only needed if the agency receiving the partida specifically asks for one. In that case, the order is fixed:

1. A recent partida, issued less than one year ago.
2. RNPN authentication ($20). Since June 25, 2026, only the RNPN does this; town halls no longer can. Press reports say it is done in person at the RNPN head office and 8 DUI centers, paid by card. Online filing is not confirmed.
3. Foreign Ministry apostille, free.

Salvadoran consulates in the US do not issue apostilles. The Foreign Ministry accepts requests from anyone holding the original, so a relative in El Salvador can handle that step for you.

For visa cases, the State Department publishes a reciprocity schedule listing which Salvadoran documents it accepts. Check with the agency before you pay for an apostille you may not need.

Margin notes and records that can't be found

Life events are written in the margin of a Salvadoran birth record. Marriage, divorce, recognition by a parent and name changes all appear there, and the RNPN certificate must show every change (Article 103 of the 2024 law). To update a DUI, you need a partida with those notes.

If the event happened in the US, such as a marriage, it must first be registered in El Salvador's civil registry. Salvadoran consulates register births, marriages and deaths at no charge within the legal term.

If the registry can't find the record, the RNPN can issue:

Before ordering those, double-check the spelling of the name and the place of registration. After the 2024 municipal reform, search by the original district where the birth was recorded, not by the new municipality name.

Common mistakes and scams

• Submitting a partida older than 12 months for a DUI or passport application.
• Asking a town hall to authenticate a partida for use abroad: since June 25, 2026, only the RNPN does it.
• Confusing the RNPN authentication ($20) with the Foreign Ministry apostille (free): you need both to apostille a partida.
• Sending USCIS a Spanish partida without a complete, certified English translation.
• Paying middlemen or look-alike websites instead of using Simple SV or a consulate.
• Not checking the margin notes: a missing marriage or name change can hold up a DUI update.